My name is Lauren Zeffer and I am from North Babylon, Long Island. I have an older sister who is 25 and a younger sister who is 16. I would be lying if I said my mom never let me have cool pets. Right now I have a Maltese and Yorkie mix named Sugar, a parakeet named Hoot, and a hedgehog named Ollie. In the past I have had fish, hamsters, turtles, and even two ducks. I am a sophomore wildlife and conservation biology major with a minor in Spanish.
Growing up, my family had a tiny bungalow just off the shore of the Great South Bay in a small private community just 20 minutes from my house. My great grandfather built the house over 75 years ago. He changed the lives of his family members for generations after. I had the privilege of spending my summers here. My grandmother never wanted me to sit inside all day. I was given the option of either finding friends, exploring outside, or going home to North Babylon. Being shy, I decided to explore. I used to go fishing in the creek across from my bungalow. I used to see deer, muskrats, chipmunks, snapping turtles, and more while I sat with my fishing pole. When I got bored, I rode my bike to the marina where I watched the Osprey build its nest. I was fascinated by the way they carried fish in their talons and how beautiful they were. Being the little nature lover I was, I walked on the beach to collect seashells, poked dead puffer fish with sticks, and picked up crabs and clams and threw them back in the water after they had washed up on the beach. Nature became part of who I was. As I got older I saw my first owl while I was riding my bike back home at dusk. I stopped and saw a few more fly onto the power line. I though it was the coolest thing I had ever seen because I had heard their calls in the past and collected their feathers for years, but never actually saw one.
By the time I hit late middle school and early high school, I began thinking of ideas for my Girl Scout Gold Award. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award one can earn in Girl Scouting, and I was determined to earn mine because I had been a Girl Scout since kindergarten. I learned that bat populations on Long Island were in serious decline beginning in 2010. I wanted to find a way to intertwine that knowledge into my project. I came up with building bat houses in order to help restore their populations. I spent over 80 hours researching, teaching others about the importance of bats, and building and installing three bat houses, each housing about 80 bats. I installed them in three different locations within my summer community, hoping to give back to the wildlife that had influenced my childhood. Without my great grandfather building the bungalow, I am not sure I would be going to school to pursue a career in wildlife conservation.
Introduction
My name is Lauren Zeffer and I am from North Babylon, Long Island. I have an older sister who is 25 and a younger sister who is 16. I would be lying if I said my mom never let me have cool pets. Right now I have a Maltese and Yorkie mix named Sugar, a parakeet named Hoot, and a hedgehog named Ollie. In the past I have had fish, hamsters, turtles, and even two ducks. I am a sophomore wildlife and conservation biology major with a minor in Spanish.
Growing up, my family had a tiny bungalow just off the shore of the Great South Bay in a small private community just 20 minutes from my house. My great grandfather built the house over 75 years ago. He changed the lives of his family members for generations after. I had the privilege of spending my summers here. My grandmother never wanted me to sit inside all day. I was given the option of either finding friends, exploring outside, or going home to North Babylon. Being shy, I decided to explore. I used to go fishing in the creek across from my bungalow. I used to see deer, muskrats, chipmunks, snapping turtles, and more while I sat with my fishing pole. When I got bored, I rode my bike to the marina where I watched the Osprey build its nest. I was fascinated by the way they carried fish in their talons and how beautiful they were. Being the little nature lover I was, I walked on the beach to collect seashells, poked dead puffer fish with sticks, and picked up crabs and clams and threw them back in the water after they had washed up on the beach. Nature became part of who I was. As I got older I saw my first owl while I was riding my bike back home at dusk. I stopped and saw a few more fly onto the power line. I though it was the coolest thing I had ever seen because I had heard their calls in the past and collected their feathers for years, but never actually saw one.
By the time I hit late middle school and early high school, I began thinking of ideas for my Girl Scout Gold Award. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award one can earn in Girl Scouting, and I was determined to earn mine because I had been a Girl Scout since kindergarten. I learned that bat populations on Long Island were in serious decline beginning in 2010. I wanted to find a way to intertwine that knowledge into my project. I came up with building bat houses in order to help restore their populations. I spent over 80 hours researching, teaching others about the importance of bats, and building and installing three bat houses, each housing about 80 bats. I installed them in three different locations within my summer community, hoping to give back to the wildlife that had influenced my childhood. Without my great grandfather building the bungalow, I am not sure I would be going to school to pursue a career in wildlife conservation.